Alaska - what is the difference?

[jrabbit]

er

I wouldn't necessarily say the 60s are guaranteed. Based on the navigators this year, there were a lot of 50s as highs. When we cruised in September last year, it varied a lot on a day to day basis (and sometimes on an hour to hour basis depending on whether it was raining or suddenly sunny).

ergo .... Layers!!!

 

[Ljbadfan]

They also have Pixar pals night.

 

[ahain]

I agree with the $200+ excursions ... but last year (our second Alaska cruise) ... we took a float plane excursion out of Juneau that flew over 5 different glaciers - and landed at the Taku Lodge where we had a great lunch (some the be best salmon ever) and had time to walk around. Saw a family of bears in a tree (was near the lodge and the people from the lodge kept the bears in the tree while we were there).

This was a REALLY Expensive excursion - but also one of the coolest ones we have ever done (20+ cruises in North America (both east and west coasts), Caribbean, Med, Northern Europe and Panama Canal)

We did this excursion as well (we booked direct, and not through DCL). Along with DH, DD & myself, we brought my mom & her husband along as a "thank you" for everything they did for DD while she was growing up. As you said...VERY expensive, but we figured that we were going to "do Alaska right" in case we never made it back. We are from Michigan, so this excursion also held interest for us because of the Muskegon, Michigan "Hackley" family's ties to Taku lodge. (We live about 15 minutes from Muskegon/Hackley House) It was, by far, the highlight of the trip. Amazing scenery & unforgettable views of the glaciers from the air.

 

[Dug720]

My only caution with doing plane or helicopter excursions independently is find out what their policy is for covering expenses and getting you back to the ship if weather rolls in and prevents the planes/helicopters from getting back to you (or leaving if they hang). It has happened before - This American Life did a story about it, and I talked with a crew member on Holland America who was talking about it happening a cruise or two before ours. People got stranded overnight at a mushers camp. HAL covered the people on their excursion AND had a boat or train tickets waiting to get their people to their ships. Those on a private excursion had to fight with the company about who was paying the expenses.

 

[Ronneeaght]

Wow!! 4 Alaska cruises!! Any excursions advice? We probably would not do any of the $200+ per person excursions. My son will be 8 on this cruise.

I'd highly recommend any of the Skagway options that include the White Pass & Yukon railway. I think your son would like it. We did the train up, bike down excursion, and it is one of our favorite vacation experiences. (Adding the biking in brought it to right around $200, but there are other options for $100-$200 both through Disney and independently)

 

[darnheather]

Were on the DCL Alaska cruise last year and in Juneau, while waiting to depart, a hummingbird zipped up to our verandah, looked us over and took off...truly magical. The trip was awesome and, after seven other ones, this is one cruise I would do over in a heartbeat. Take your binoculars, camera and jacket.

I want to get a new lens for my camera for taking photos of the wildlife that will be further away in PC and Alaska. Any recommendations?

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

Funnel vision isn't on very often, this was disappointing for us.

We booked all of our excursions privately and never had any issues. Our favorite was ketchikan helicopters. Family owned business. It was really amazing. We saw bears!

Hoping to do Alaska for the 3rd time in summer of 2020.

 

[GPaLarry]

I want to get a new lens for my camera for taking photos of the wildlife that will be further away in PC and Alaska. Any recommendations?

I am not the one to ask about cameras, I have a rather cheap waterproof point and shoot. However, even I came up with some great shots. Be patient with the weather and study (youtube videos help) where you will be and where the photo ops might pop up. Good luck!!

 

[curias]

We did Alaska in the Summer of 2017. Our favourite excursion was the one off the boat to see the glacier. We did the noon excursion and played cat and mouse with the ship. We got amazing photos of the ship with the beautiful backgrounds. The little boat brings you close to waterfalls and wildlife. If we had stayed on the ship, good chance all of that scenery would pass us by. And then you get way closer to the glacier than the ship can. This was definitely the best excursion we did.

We also did the Yukon Tour from Skagway. Being Canadian we thought it may be our only chance to visit the Yukon. It was great. We then took the train back to Skagway.

Our Juneau excursion - flying over glaciers - was cancelled. By the time we found out it was too late to go and do something else.

From Ketchikan we did the Misty Fjords boat tour. We found that tour too long, and as beautiful as it all was - the glacier tour from the ship was way better. There is enough to walk to in Ketchikan that you can spend time around the port.

The food during the Alaska cruise is amazing - especially if you like seafood. Lots of Salmon, Lobster, Crab, Shrimp...

And of course, you get pictures of Minnie in her Parka, which are priceless.

You are going to have an amazing time!

 

[ladyofthetramp]

I want to get a new lens for my camera for taking photos of the wildlife that will be further away in PC and Alaska. Any recommendations?

I brought a 70-300mm to Alaska, but considered renting a 18-300mm just so I wouldn't have to change lenses or bring to many with me. I ended up not doing that due to cost. Certainly if you can afford or rent something a bit longer, you might be happy. The 70 to 300 was enough for everywhere but Eagle Beach in Juneau. We rented a car that day and went off on our won and journeyed to this amazing place. Filled with bald eagles. The 300mm still could not reach them, so a bit disappointing there. But overall, I was happy with that lens for the most of my trip along with an 18-55mm I had in my bag.

 

[Pooh93]

No need to spend a fortune on excursions:

Skagway:

• I recommend walking to the Gold Rush Graveyard and then up to Lower Reid Falls (which are right behind the graveyard). Walking the whole way takes about 45 minutes at a leisurely pace each way and is very doable (unless you're disabled, or traveling with elderly or toddlers) and gives you a feel for the real town and the Alaskan scenery. But if that's too much walking for you, just take the cheap town shuttle to a neaby drop-off.

• We booked an excursion directly with Jewell Gardens for glassblowing. It cost about $100 per person, which is about half the cost of what Disney charged for the exact same experience & location, plus lunch. But going independently, you can still arrive early and buy a nice lunch there for yourself. You can take the cheap and easy town shuttle to get to Jewell Gardens, if you don't want to walk. You'll be guided in glassblowing an ornament, which will be mailed to your home at no extra charge. It's cool, and you can also look around at the gardens.

Juneau:

• I recommend taking the free 5-minute shuttle to the base of town, then buying bus tickets to Mendenhall Glacier. There are lots of hawkers right there, so it's easy to get tickets. The bus will drop you off at Mendenhall, and will loop back every 30 minutes or so, so that you can stay as long as you like. Mendenhall Glacier is a must-do imo.

• After Mendenhall, I also recommend taking Mount Roberts Tramway up the mountain, and hiking around up there.
• I recommend having lunch at Tracy's King Crab Shack.

Ketchikan:

• I can't give an inexpensive activity recommendation for Ketchikan, because this is where we did our floatplane tour of Misty Fjords. We used Island Wings, and it cost about $240 per person. The pilot was very experienced and skilled, the views were good, but of course, those floatplanes are loud. (I have extremely sensitive ears, but I did it for my son. They do provide headphones.)

Vancouver:

• While onboard, we signed up for a disembarkation day DCL excursion through Vancouver. It was a brief bus tour of the city, including a stop at Stanley Park, followed by an hour or two to explore the Capilano Suspension Bridge, which was another major highlight of the trip for us. This was the only DCL-sponsored excursion we did, and it was great. It ended at the airport.

We also used Island Wings in Ketchikan. It was expensive, but the highlight of our trip.

 

[darnheather]

I brought a 70-300mm to Alaska, but considered renting a 18-300mm just so I wouldn't have to change lenses or bring to many with me. I ended up not doing that due to cost. Certainly if you can afford or rent something a bit longer, you might be happy. The 70 to 300 was enough for everywhere but Eagle Beach in Juneau. We rented a car that day and went off on our won and journeyed to this amazing place. Filled with bald eagles. The 300mm still could not reach them, so a bit disappointing there. But overall, I was happy with that lens for the most of my trip along with an 18-55mm I had in my bag.

Thank you. They are far more reasonably priced than I thought they would be. Going to give one to myself for Christmas. I know I'll enjoy it on our PC trip and many years to come.

 

[Trip planner]

We went June 2018 and it was the best vacation ever! The excursions were pricey and except for the glacier day at endicott Arm,
We booked all of our excursions independently and would do it again.
We did whale watching in Juneau and then took a cab to mendenhall glacier, chikhoot charters bus up train back in Skagway, and sea kayaking with southeast sea kayaks.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I am looking at concierge . Will my 70 year old parents benefit from those facilities?

I could never justify the added cost of a suite, for ANY age bracket or itinerary. Not when I could take 3 cruises for what they charge for one. Ok, maaaaaybe if they gave me Johnny Depp dressed as Jack Sparrow in my cabin for the week... mmmm

My parents are in their mid 70s now and have cruised with us many times (they are gold, close to platinum), the last time being our 2013 Med cruise. They never felt like some service was missing but I suppose it depends on the traveler and what one feels is "required" to enjoy the cruise. Obviously there are plenty of folks who feel it's worth the extra money and is a must have.

I have found that itineraries that are very port intensive (Alaska and Med) tend to make me not so concerned about the usual ship activities. Our Alaskan excursions began very early in the morning, such as meeting on the dock at 7am, and after a few days we began skipping the shows in the WD Theater which is something that surprised me. Same with the Med cruise. All that touring was exhausting.

 

[Shanti]

Funnel vision isn't on very often, this was disappointing for us.

Naturally this was to preserve peace and quiet in the fjord. Who wants to gaze at such natural beauty with silly movies playing loudly in the background?

 

[COASTIEandMATE]

Naturally this was to preserve peace and quiet in the fjord. Who wants to gaze at such natural beauty with silly movies playing loudly in the background?

To many of us Disney classics are not "silly old movies ".You will see many of them celebrating Mickey Mouse's 90 birthday!!